Two distinctive renditions of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet played to capacity audiences last weekend in Sechelt and Gibsons.
Extended runs by Waldorf Ballet and the Sunshine Coast Youth Dance Association offered new interpretations of the holiday classic, some 100 years after the ballet had its North American debut with amateur performances in Vancouver.
The shows also marked the 10th year of local Nutcrackers. In 2012, Kathleen and David Holmes, founders of the Coasting Along Theatre Society, began staging the two-act performance with full sets and costumes. After a COVID-triggered hiatus in 2020, Waldorf Ballet and the Youth Dance Association instituted independent productions at the Raven’s Cry Theatre and Heritage Playhouse respectively.
“The neat thing about any of these story ballet productions is that you get the younger dancers mixing in with the older dancers,” said Johanna Waldorf, artistic director of Waldorf Ballet. “You get dancers from different schools coming together. Older dancers are getting that chance to mentor the new and upcoming dancers and show them the roles they get to look forward to.”
In Sechelt, the Waldorf production ran through six performances that featured studio instructor Jennifer Helland as the enigmatic Drosselmeyer. Drosselmeyer, who arrives at a festive family gathering with his child Hans (later transformed into the heroic Nutcracker, played alternately by Gabrielle Desharmais and Waverlee Meisinger), presents gifts to niece Clara (Acesea Enga and Audrey Alternburg) and mischievous nephew Fritz (Saje Morin and Aléa Mager). Clara is transported to the Kingdom of Sweets, where she meets a coterie of characters like the graceful Sugar Plum Fairy (Brooklyn Tuner and Annah Kotai).
“It’s just a really fun time,” said Kotai, who has danced in four earlier Nutcrackers. “There’s lots of different roles. [I like] getting to see little mice up to the very oldest dancers, all the costumes, and the production.”
Waverlee Meisinger appeared in the ballet for the first time, playing the Nutcracker. “I [play] a man, which is a little weird,” she said. “But it doesn’t really matter because it’s still just dancing and fun, and I feel like it’s improved my acting skills.”
The Waldorf production emphasized the playfulness of Clara’s childhood dream. Junior dancers portray lost sheep to shepherdess Bo-Beep (Adele Dubin and Morgan Richmond). A giant gingerbread man consorted with a pair of high-stepping walnuts. A prancing bumblebee (played by Audrey Altenburg and Acesea Enga) evoked the ballet’s original climax, which was set in a bustling apiary.
In Gibsons, eight performances of the Sunshine Coast Nutcracker by the Youth Dance Association united dozens of dancers from the Gibsons Dance Centre, the Coast Academy of Dance, and even Waldorf Ballet.
“Every year is a little bit different, for different reasons,” said Zoe Barbaro, who directed the production alongside Penny Hudson and Dominique Hutchinson. “This year, we had one of our local girls do Sugar Plum. It was the first time that’s happened for the Nutcracker here, so that was really sweet and a real standout.”
Eibhlin Minatsis, the Sugar Plum Fairy, has graduated from the Gibsons Dance Centre and in 2024 will join the English National Ballet School for a six-month pre-professional program. She appeared alongside guest artist Nolan Fahey, who played the Snow King and Cavalier. “It’s so incredibly inspiring,” said Misatsis describing the experience of working with visiting professionals like Fahey, who trained with the Arts Umbrella centre in Vancouver. “They have so much to give,” Misatsis added.
The Gibsons production this year introduced new characters to the traditional lineup: the Snow Prince (played by Peter Reznick and Connor Dixon) and the Snow Princess (Ella Hoath and Aoife Murphy). Gibsons Dance Studio instructor Marcel Tremel reprised his cape-spinning interpretation of Drosselmeyer and supplemented it with an appearance as an Arabian prince opposite Peyton Gray (who also shared the role of Snow Queen with Annika Bergman). Stilt-walking Mother Ginger (played by adult performers Jennifer Norquist and Malissa Arkinstall) prompted audience cheers as she stirred acrobatic polichinelles into effervescent antics.
“The Nutcracker lays the foundation for what’s possible,” said choreographer Dominique Hutchinson. “Often we dream of all these possibilities. It looks quite organic, but it’s months and months of planning each step to make sure we arrive at that place where dreams become realized and possibilities become infinite.”
Listen to audio of dancers and directors talking about their Nutcracker experience on the Sunshine Coast by browsing to michaelgurney.com/culture.
